Isekai Mahou wa Okureteru! (LN) - Volume 8 - Chapter 3

Chapter 3: The Strongest of the Seven Swords vs. the Modern Magician 

Not long before Suimei’s group found Elliot, in the courtyard of Hadorious’s estate... 

“As I suspected, Hero-dono... Your sword is still immature, it seems.” 

“Ugh...!” 

Hearing the disappointment in Hadorious’s voice in the middle of their fight left a bad taste in Reiji’s mouth. It was the taste of humiliation. It was as if Hadorious meant to say this was all just to test Reiji, who was currently down on one knee. 

And it wasn’t because Reiji had underestimated his opponent. No, he was taking his bout with the duke quite seriously. Yet in spite of that, in spite of being a proud hero divinely blessed by the Goddess herself, Hadorious stood towering over him unfazed like this was all a game to him. 

But, though it pained Reiji to admit it, Hadorious had every reason to be so full of himself right now. When Reiji attacked, he would evade his strikes without even bothering to lift his blade. Conversely, when he had Reiji on the defensive, Reiji didn’t have a prayer of dodging his attacks. It took everything he had just to block them. Despite the fact that he hadn’t been struck once, his legs were already giving out under him. 

That was thanks to Hadorious’s fluid and varied techniques with a blade—what Felmenia had called his sword dancing—combined with his herculean strength, refined form, and magic spells. The duke seemed to have an overwhelming advantage, and that was painfully clear now. Reiji cringed at the terrible taste it left lingering in his mouth. 

Hadorious dismissed the lightning that clad his sword and examined it in the light of the mana lamps like a work of art. Was there a chip in the blade? Or was he scrutinizing the murkiness of his own heart reflected in his weapon? Whichever it was, he quickly lowered it and turned his attention back to Reiji. 

“All of your victories up until now have likely only been attained by relying on your gift. That’s why, when you’re put before someone with actual experience and skill, your plating cracks as easily as hardened lacquer and crumbles. Behold your current condition.” 

Hadorious spoke of the Goddess’s protection as plating, and the analogy was rather apt. The power that protected Reiji was not his; it was like a borrowed set of armor. However, precisely because of that... 

“Is that anything someone from the country that summoned me should be saying?” 

“Is that not obvious? If you mistake the Goddess’s power for your own, it is our duty to enlighten and correct you. To be complacent because you’re worshiped is its own form of idolatry... Not that I’m worried about you becoming too prideful.” 

That seemed to be Hadorious’s conclusion after trading blows with Reiji. But then... 

“So, Hero-dono, how is it? The Goddess’s power, I mean. Have you gotten used to it?” 

“What difference does that make right now?” 

“It makes all the difference. If you’ve gotten used to it already, that’s just a sign of how quickly you’ve degraded into the Goddess’s pawn.” 

“Pawn...?” 

“That’s right. I told you this once before, but the very existence of the demons serves a higher existence, and their sole purpose is bringing about the ruin of all other races—including humans. Do you recall, I wonder? The answer you received from the demon general called Rajas after you asked him what meaning there was in humans and demons slaughtering each other?” 

“That’s...” 

Reiji had indeed once asked Rajas why the demons attacked humans—why two sentient races had to be so violently at odds. When he’d spoken of the matter with Hadorious, he’d said that Reiji’s question had no meaning. Reiji hadn’t understood what he meant at the time, but it seemed to behoove Hadorious to explain now. 

“That’s right. That’s why your question was a hollow and empty one. If the demons were created by the Evil God only to kill, then there is no way that we can coexist, is there? Our quarrel with them is nothing more than a struggle for exclusive possession of the world. But not for us—for the higher powers that control us. We are simply pawns on the grand game board that is the struggle between the Goddess and Evil God, which pits humanity and heroes against demons and demon generals.” 

“Pawns... on a game board...” 

Hearing those words, Reiji suddenly recalled the conversation between Suimei and Lishbaum after the clash with the demons in the northern Empire. Lishbaum had said that the demons were pawns of the Evil God, and in order to make room for stronger pawns in their army, they had to clear out the weaker ones. It was just like a strategy game... 

“...” 

Reiji was somewhat dumbstruck at the uncanny similarity, but Hadorious appeared to see right through him. 

“By the look of it, it seems that—even if only a little—you are now beginning to comprehend my meaning.” 

“That’s...” 

“That’s enough of your gum-flapping prattle, human.” 

“Io Kuzami-san!” 

Slipping through Hadorious’s private soldiers, Io Kuzami approached and inserted herself between Reiji and Hadorious. Reiji didn’t know why she suddenly sounded so indignant, especially considering the gravity of the conversation. 

“Hero-dono’s friend... No, I see. You’re—” 

“Take this!” 

“I won’t abide such interference!” 

As Io Kuzami closed in on Hadorious with mana accumulating in her right hand, he expeditiously retrieved a gem of some kind from his pocket and threw it at her. 

“Ugh, this is...” 

Io Kuzami attempted to twist her body to evade it, but the gem grazed her shoulder as it flew past her. It shouldn’t have been much of an attack considering the small size of the gem, but she immediately dropped to her knees. And with Io Kuzami taken care of, Hadorious turned back to Reiji. 

“So, Hero-dono, how does it feel to learn what you truly are?” 

“Y-You’re saying that I’m just a pawn too?!” 

“Precisely.” 

“But—” 

“If you’re not, then explain to me how it is that you just suddenly felt so compelled to help the people of this world. Where exactly did those feelings come from, hmm?” 

“That... That’s... 

Reiji had agreed to save the people of this world because they’d asked him to. After summoning him to Royal Castle Camellia, they begged him to subjugate the demons. With the power he’d acquired, he felt like he had to do something. Even if his ego were somewhat inflated over being hailed as a hero, he had chosen to help them. It was something he’d decided for himself. It was his own free will. 

“I’m helping the people of this world because I want to! It was my decision!” 

“Is that not just what you keep telling yourself?” 

“You’re wrong! I took up a sword to fight of my own volition! I’m not being manipulated!” 

Reiji was roaring at this point, but Hadorious simply shook his head in exasperation. 

“I see El Meide’s hero has a much better grasp on reality...” 

“What does that mean?” 

“The time for questions is over, Hero-dono. It’s now time we finish our dance.” 

There, Hadorious took up a fighting stance. However, unlike before, he didn’t conjure lightning around his blade. Did he mean to hold back? The unfettered fighting spirit he was radiating didn’t indicate so, and he certainly wasn’t showing any openings. Then, once more, he thrust his sword into the ground. 

“Now, let us begin.” 

Reiji thought for a moment that Hadorious was falling forward, but he simply leaned over and smoothly pulled his sword from the ground. With it came a rising slash. Reiji saw it coming and knew he stood a good chance of dodging it, but if things went awry, he also knew that slash had the power to cut him to pieces. His hesitation got the better of him and he dashed in a poor attempt to evade. The price was a fine, red streak of blood across his cheek. 

“Urgh...!” 

Hadorious spun around like he was dancing, and the moment he finished swinging his sword, he thrust it back into the ground. He then fluidly retrieved it again to attack once more. The speed of his slash was terrifying, and it was all Reiji could do just to catch it with his own sword. 

How... How is he able to do this so quickly despite stabbing the ground? 

Hadorious clearly left himself open every time he stopped to thrust his sword into the ground. But that didn’t make any difference to Reiji when he was kept so decisively on the defensive. He couldn’t attack even if he wanted to, and even if he tried, he could already picture Hadorious gracefully turning to the side like he knew exactly what was coming. He’d then take the opportunity to counterattack, putting Reiji in more danger than if he’d done nothing at all. 

And it seemed there was nothing for Reiji to gain by staying on the defensive and waiting for his chance, either. Hadorious’s blade left no room for counterattacks. He would step forward with confidence as if stepping into a ballroom, and thrust his sword in front of him in furious, fluid attacks. 

But he was a perfect gentleman in combat. He danced beautifully on his own, but if Reiji extended his sword as if asking for a dance, the duke would happily comply. Their blades would tango, but Hadorious would always come out on top as the better dancer. 

“How...?” 

Reiji unwittingly let is doubt escape his lips, and Hadorious replied with a smile. 

“It’s nothing mysterious, really. Those lacking in elegance are simply doomed to be immature swordsmen. And since you know nothing of the elegant way of the sword, you can only flail about in confusion. That’s all it is. 

“Elegance...?” 

Reiji didn’t understand the connection. Elegance was merely a matter of aesthetics. What bearing did it have on their fight? How would it better prepare him to deal with Hadorious? 

Hadorious focused his stance and unleashed a wave of attacks on Reiji. Reiji blocked with his sword and endured as best he could, but the pommel of Hadorious’s sword caught him from below. 

“Cra—!” 

That single strike made Reiji’s grip lapse, and he involuntarily let go of his orichalcum sword. Hadorious immediately zeroed in on the opportunity. 

“Take this as a warning about your own immaturity!” 

Hadorious lifted his sword to strike, and the unarmed Reiji now had nothing to defend himself with. The speed and sharpness of Hadorious’s blow wouldn’t allow him time to try and dodge, either. Reckoning with that, Reiji prepared himself for the worst. 

“Reiji-dono!” 

“Reiji-kun!” 

“Tch! Reiji!” 

Felmenia and Lefille yelled out, and Io Kuzami raced to cut in between them, but... 

“Elegance, huh? I guess that’s not too dissimilar from what my father would call romance... Whatever. The reason Reiji’s sword can’t touch you is because ‘he doesn’t have the skill to keep up with the dance,’ right?” 

An unexpected voice suddenly came from behind Hadorious—one that seemed to immediately comprehend what had eluded Reiji—along with a sharp stone. 

“Urgh, who’s there?!” 

Hadorious turned around with a furious challenge to see... 

“Just little old me, friend numero uno of the hero over there. You do remember my face, don’t you?” 

It was Suimei, clad in the green vest he usually wore in this world. But just where had he come from? None of the doors or windows to the mansion were opened, and no one had heard a sound. He’d seemingly appeared out of nowhere in absolute silence. Even the stone he’d thrown seemed to have come out of nowhere. But despite the mystery, Suimei acted as if this were all perfectly normal. 

“You’re...?” 

“Suimei-dono!” 

It appeared as though Duke Hadorious didn’t recognize Suimei after all. The clue that he was Reiji’s friend didn’t seem to ring any bells either, but when Felmenia called his name, Hadorious suddenly looked rather bewildered. 

“Suimei...? Suimei Yakagi? Why are you here?” 

“Why? What else? I came to rescue the hero.” 

Hearing those words, a deep wrinkle appeared on Hadorious’s brow. There was a stark moment of disbelief at the thought that Suimei had infiltrated his estate, but that was to be expected. He hardly knew what Suimei’s magicka was capable of. 

“I see... The hero was just a distraction while you snuck into the mansion. Was that it? I must say, I’m honestly surprised you managed to get through all my security.” 

“Yeah, well, it wasn’t exactly hard.” 

There, Suimei burst into capricious laughter. His insouciant attitude seemed to irritate Hadorious all the more at this interruption. With the mood killed, his confident expression twisted into a scowl. 

“Nevertheless, I won’t have you standing in the way of my match with Hero-dono. Kindly step aside.” 

“Aw, don’t be so cold. Let me join in on the fun. You’re a big-shot noble, right? Show me a duke’s hospitality, will ya?” 

“I have nothing to show rabble like you. Second squad! To the front!” 

Hadorious hurled orders at his private soldiers currently engaged with Felmenia and Lefille. A portion of them broke away from the fight and approached Suimei. In response to that, Suimei replied with his usual exasperation and an exaggerated shrug of his shoulders... then started cracking his knuckles. 

“Wow, calling me rabble? That’s harsh, man. I think I just might cry. I mean, my bad. Sorry for having such a mediocre face...” 

“Suimei, now’s not the time to be joking around! Put some—” 

“Nah, there’s nothing for me to get worked up about here.” 

Even before the soldiers closing in on him, even with Reiji trying to warn him, Suimei simply grinned like he was about to have some fun. It wasn’t a joyful smile, but a fearless one. He was sneering at those who dared to challenge him. Reiji had seen that look before and he knew what it meant—these men were about to learn their lesson. 

A bright flash then flickered behind Suimei like a lightning strike, creating a dazzling ultramarine light in the blink of an eye. It was a spread of small magicka circles lining up systematically behind him. 

“Wha—?!” 

“This is...!” 

Those synchronized voices of surprise came from Reiji and Hadorious respectively. Both of them were floored to see the fifty some magic circles behind Suimei, each one imprinted with some unusual equation... and each one gathering mana like a charging laser. Really, with all of them assembled behind him, Suimei looked like some kind of magickal gunner with an impressive arsenal. All he’d have to do was pull the trigger—or, in this case, say the magic words. 

“Illustre carmen ad operationem simplicem. Armat ad quinquaginta et passive diducit, invocato Augoeides. Strategic Bombing.” 

[Illustrious spell at simplified operation. Arm from one to fifty and deploy randomly, invoke Augoeides. Strategic Bombing.] 

The moment he finished his chant and swung his arm down, Reiji’s expectations became reality. The magicka circles concentrated their light and fifty brilliant rays shot out, racing towards the soldiers approaching Suimei. Unlike the clear, soft light of a flashlight or torch, these rays looked like dense pillars or flickering spears. Reiji didn’t even need to imagine what would happen to someone struck by one. 

The instant the beams made impact, there was a dazzling lightshow. The mercenaries’ formation became a stage of explosions and sparks flying every which way. It was hard to even tell what was happening underneath it all. 

The terrifying scene sent chills down Reiji’s spine. He felt like he was frozen in place—he didn’t dare move. And it was for his own good. If he stepped forward carelessly, he too might get caught up in the unceasing barrage of flashes and sparks. He was best off staying put. 

When the pandemonium began to die down, it left an afterimage in the eyes of all who beheld it like a fading strobe light. It took a few seconds for them to see that every single one of the soldiers in the formation was now collapsed on the spot. 

They weren’t visibly injured, but their armor was scorched and crumbling. It was all too obvious they’d been struck with a great and fiery force. Paying no mind to the felled soldiers who weren’t so much as twitching, Suimei turned a fearless and provoking smile towards the rest of the mercenaries. He then stuck out his hand and curled his finger towards himself as if to say, “Come and get it.” 

But all the remaining mercenaries read in his cocky attitude was, “You’re all worthless. I don’t care how many of you there are—you can’t take me.” Understandably insulted an incensed, they all rushed at him at once. They closed in quickly, lunging at Suimei with swords and spears. In response, he simply jumped in the air to dodge their blades... and then snapped his fingers. 

It was a casual and graceful gesture. And as soon as the snapping sound rang out in the air, the air itself exploded in front of him, blowing all the mercenary soldiers away. Suimei then made a reckless and daring landing right in the middle of their formation. He crouched down and placed his right hand on the stone tiles of the garden and unleashed a tremendous amount of mana all at once. 

Pure mana had its own power, but when not channeled into magicka, it wasn’t a particularly effective attack. Yet when enough of it was released, even the mysteries in the surroundings would run wild, and that was exactly what happened here. Suimei’s mana pressurized the atmospheric aetheric to its extreme, causing an explosion. 

Of course, Reiji didn’t understand what was happening. All he saw was an explosive burst of flame swallow the soldiers and Suimei alike. Eventually, the fire and smoke vanished, blown away by an unnatural wind. What was revealed in their stead... was a magician now conspicuously in a black suit. He swung his arm as if swatting away the lingering embers like flies and let out a bored sigh. 

This is... 

Reiji was in awe of the disastrous scene he’d just witnessed, and even more in awe of his best friend who’d caused it. All of it, down to the last detail, was beyond his imagination. He was floored when he saw Felmenia use magicka, but this surpassed even that by leaps and bounds. 

When Reiji first heard of magicians, when he heard the stories from Felmenia and Lefille, he thought he understood the extent of the power they were talking about. Suimei used techniques that were literally out of this world, and they were what Felmenia had used to become stronger—that was all. That was the impression he’d been under. But now that he’d gotten a closer look at the real thing, he realized how utterly wrong he’d been. 

Reiji and Suimei had had something of an unprecedented heart-to-heart that day at the encampment. Reiji had confessed the strange sense of surrealism he felt at the death of so many soldiers, and Suimei had understood it perfectly. He said it was because this was a different world, that it would always be harder for things to hit home for Reiji here. He said he knew how Reiji felt because he felt it too, so Reiji had walked away from that conversation feeling like they were at last on the same page. 

But this—this stunt that Suimei had just pulled—crushed that feeling flat. How could someone who was this powerful understand what someone like Reiji was feeling? If Suimei was that powerful, how on earth was it that this backwater world felt surreal to him? The world they were from—the world that had produced Suimei—must have been far, far more mystical. 

Just how dangerous... is our world? 

If Suimei needed this kind of power to get by, it must secretly be a blood-soaked nightmare. That was all Reiji could think when he saw this stupendous display. That, and just where in their ostensibly peaceful world were people like him hiding? Reiji couldn’t believe it... And he could hardly believe his eyes. But it was precisely because his friend had been fighting in their own world that he was able to fight like this here. And when that realization fully dawned on him, he couldn’t help laughing. 

“You know, Suimei... this is really kind of unfair.” 

“Huh? Look who’s talking, Mr. I Instantly Got Stupid Strong When I Was Summoned Here. You make me look like an idiot for spending twelve years getting to this level, you jerk.” 

Suimei glared daggers perhaps a little sharper than normal at Reiji. It was his pride as a magician showing. 

“Menia, Lefi, you alright over there?” 

“I’m just fine, Suimei-dono! Don’t mind me! Please give all your support to Reiji-dono!” 

“I’m okay over here too! Just holding them back is no problem!” 

“Alrighty then. Sorry to ask, but could you push the rest of ’em all the way over there? They’re in the way scuttling around here.” 

The two girls seemed to have no trouble complying with Suimei’s request. With their red wind and white flames, Thoria’s hero and Hadorious’s private soldiers were pushed back beyond the bounds of Suimei’s battle so they wouldn’t get in his way. Once that was taken care of, Suimei shot a cold glance Hadorious’s way. 

“So? Is that all for the opening act? For treating people like peons, that was a pretty poor showing, wasn’t it? Right, Mr. Big-Shot Duke?” 

When Reiji looked, he saw that Hadorious’s composed expression had twisted into one of surprise. Much like Reiji, he was aghast at the extent of Suimei’s abilities. Or perhaps it was simply that he couldn’t believe them... 

“Ridiculous. Forget using magic without hailing Elements, to think you could even fight... I thought you were just some powerless coward.” 

Seeing Hadorious’s disbelief, Suimei made a mockingly stupefied expression. 

“Aw, gee... That’s how it is, huh? Well, you are from Astel, aren’t you? Man, I can’t believe that’s what you thought of me...” 

The people of Astel had been badmouthing Suimei as gutless since he was first summoned. Of course, that was only because he’d been hiding his powers all this time. Not even Duke Hadorious had any idea what he was really capable of. 

“I see... So you’ve deceived the good people of Astel, have you?” 

“Hey, hey! Can you not make it sound like I’m the bad guy here? I don’t even wanna hear that kinda crap from you. Sending an entire fucking army of demons after a trade caravan of innocent people... It was a real chore beating the shit out of all of them, you know?” 

“Then you’re the one who... I see, you’re the man in black that demon general was yelling about.” 

As if to answer Hadorious’s suspicions, Suimei flipped open the long, black coat he wore over his suit. The instant he did, a strong wind swept through the courtyard, making the manicured hedges and shrubs dance. At the arrival of some unknown mystical presence, it was like the natural balance of power was suddenly tipped. The mana lamps began to flicker ominously. And then... 

“That’s right. The guy Rajas cursed probably until his last breath? That was me—Society magician Yakagi Suimei.” 

The moment he said that, a piercing chill condensed in the air... and it was aimed directly at Hadorious. 

After Suimei forced his way into the fight in the courtyard, he conjured all his dormant mana and relieved Reiji in his fight against Hadorious. 

Suimei was now radiating mana, fighting spirit, and all the lingering anger he’d been building up over the past few months. 

This asshole... Doing nothing but fucking around with people... 

Throwing that kindling on an already raging fire, he fanned the flames growing in his heart. And it showed in his increasingly intimidating aura. 

As for his opponent, Hadorious was still surprised that Suimei could even use magic. Slowly coming to grips with the situation, however, his face relaxed into the composed expression he’d worn while fighting Reiji. 

“Very well, Suimei Yakagi. This simply means that I underestimated you.” 

“What a blunder, too... I wonder just how much it’s going to tighten that noose around your neck.” 

“Shut that impertinent mouth of yours. Even with you here, all it means is that the number of opponents in this bout has increased by one.” 

“This bout, huh?” 

Shutting down the prospect of any further frivolous conversation, Hadorious broke into a sprint and drew the sword he had thrust into the ground. Sensing impending danger, Suimei jumped to the side and felt a shockwave fly past him. 

He could hear the shockwave keep going accompanied by an odd tearing and crackling noise, and when he glanced over his shoulder, he saw that the stone tiles on the ground were smashed to pieces in a straight line behind him. Of course, it wasn’t Hadorious’s sword that had done it. Not directly, anyway. 

“Hey, whoa... A sword wave? And one that destructive?” 

A sword wave was a technique different from the Long Sword of the Absolute Edge that Hatsumi used to attack outside of her physical range. It generated a whirlwind that flew out with a quick slash. Throughout history, it had been heralded as a technique capable of piercing even the clouds in the heavens above. 

“Careful, Suimei! That’s not all there is to the duke’s sword!” 

“Hmm?” 

Hearing that the duke knew more than once dance, the corners of Suimei’s mouth suddenly curled upward into a fearless smile. He then pulled out a vial from he pocket as if drawing a sword. 

“Permutato, coagulato, vis existito.” 

[Transform, coagulate, become power.] 

Seing this unfold, Reiji called out to his friend in an anxious voice. 

“W-Wait, Suimei! Isn’t that mercury?!” 

“Yeah, and? What about it?” 

“‘What about it’?! Isn’t that dangerous to touch?!” 

“Ah, yeah...” 

Reiji was appropriately worried. Mercury was toxic, and would even emit a dangerous vapor at room temperature. It was something they’d always been warned about when using mercury thermometers in science labs at school. But unlike Reiji, Suimei didn’t seem at all concerned. 

“Aww, don’t worry little Reiji. Daddy’s keeping himself safe with magicka, okay?” 

“A-Anything goes with magicka, huh...?” 

“This is nothing, honestly.” 

Reiji looked dumbfounded for a moment, and then immediately concerned again. 

“Moreover, Suimei, be careful! The duke can use magic on his—” 

Before Reiji could even finish his warning, Hadorious rushed forward with a demonstration. He muttered a few words and his sword became clad in green lightning that sparked and crackled. Suimei flicked his extended mercury sword as if shaking off blood from it and held it out in front of him, awaiting Hadorious’s arrival. 

“Hmph. So you’ve got more than sword techniques up your sleeve, huh?” 

“Of course. You aren’t the only one here who can use magic.” 

Hadorious swung his sword, and Suimei deftly prepared to counter it. He thrust his katana through a tiny magicka circle that appeared in the air, and it lingered on the blade as he waited to intercept Hadorious’s attack. But when the two swords collided, in an unexpected turn, it was the mercurial blade that was pushed back by the lightning-clad long sword. 

“Wha—?!” 

“Hmph!” 

This time, it was Hadorious that had caught Suimei by surprise. But Suimei wouldn’t be defeated so easily. He kept his guard up and skillfully evaded the next few slashes the duke threw at him. Hadorious was grinning ever so slightly, and Suimei furrowed his brow. 

“It’s not an enchantment...?” he muttered to himself in bewilderment. 

It certainly looked like Hadorious had clad his blade in magical lightning—Reiji had even tried to warn him about it. So why did a counterspell that nullified enchantments not work on it? Just what had Hadorious done to it? 

Whatever it was, he didn’t give Suimei much time to think about it. Hadorious quickly began swinging his sword rhythmically again, but this time Suimei raised his golden shield instead of his sword. 

“Primum et secundum moenia, expansio localis!” 

[First and second rampart, local expansion!] 

“Hmph! A magic defense? Too bad!” 

“Wuh?! H-H-Hey!” 

When sword and shield clashed, Suimei couldn’t suppress the shock over what he was seeing. The tip of Hadorious’s lightning-clad blade was sinking through his magicka circle. It was like the light given off by the golden ramparts was slowly being penetrated. 

“Tch, it’s even shaving away at the fortress’s defenses...?!” 

It seemed that Hadarious’s magic power and fighting spirit were coalescing in his attacks to overcome Suimei. His safest option for now was to get some distance. And to that end, he muttered a spell. The golden magicka circle began to rotate and blew Hadorious back, but he gracefully landed on both feet without so much as breaking his posture. The still intact ramparts protected Suimei against the sword waves Hadorious unleashed next. But they weren’t what Suimei was focused on... 

“What’s going on? That just now really wasn’t an enchantment...?” 

Of the techniques that applied mystical powers to mundane objects, the most common was enchantment. Enchantment could be used to enhance or augment any number of things, including swords. But Suimei had watched as Hadorious’s blade began boring through the second rampart, which defended against magicka. That shouldn’t have been possible. Just what did it all mean? 

While keeping his guard up against the dangerous opponent in front of him, Suimei’s thoughts ran wild. Acting on imprudent conjecture would be an extremely poor move, however. And since he didn’t have much to work with right now, any conclusions he came to would merely be conjecture. While Suimei was pondering this crossroads, someone—someone rather unexpected—threw him a bone. 

“You’re wrong, Yakagi Suimei. That man has not bestowed his sword with magic,” said Io Kuzami. 

“Wuh?” 

“You heard me.” 

Suimei corrected his posture and held his mercury katana up as he looked from her to Hadorious. His sword had just been clad in green lightning... but now it was gone. 

“Huh? It vanished?” 

If it was an enchantment, it should have been continuous as long as there was sufficient mana to keep it going. But it seemed what Hadorious had done was only a temporary effect. And it seemed Io Kuzami knew what it was. 

“The people of your world would say it’s something like possession, no?” 

“Possession...? Oh, duh, that’s what it is!” 

It finally dawned on him. Possession was an art of spiritualism, which wasn’t totally unfamiliar to Suimei. And the moment he thought he knew what he was up against, he decided to put his theory to the test and dismissed his ramparts. Seeing the ramparts vanish, Hadorious arched an eyebrow, but seemed to accept the invitation and quickly closed in. 

Now it was only a matter of timing. Since his opponent was a trained swordsman, Suimei had to take into account how quickly Hadorious could reach his max speed from a standing position or else he’d be cut down before he could lift a single finger in his own defense, much less try to dispel the mystery before him. Knowing he had to get this just right, Suimei tightly gripped his mercury katana. Hadorious once more clad his sword in lightning. Suimei leaned in, focusing his magician’s eyes. Seeing through the rising slash that could compare to even Reiji’s, Suimei struck out with his own sword. 

And just as the high-pitched clang of metal hitting metal rang out in the courtyard, he muttered... 

“Return, woman, back from whence you came.” 

“Urgh!” 

Hadorious was quite surprised to see what looked like a female spirit leave his sword and the green lightning fade in response to Suimei’s chant. But he didn’t let it slow him down. Without faltering, he immediately repelled Suimei’s mercury katana with sheer strength. But Suimei was a magician—his sword was only of secondary consequence to him. While Hadorious was dealing with Suimei’s blade, Suimei thrust out his other hand and unleashed a splendid, satisfying snap. 

“Gah...!” 

There was a sudden burst between the two of them as mana pushed outward in all directions, but Suimei stood there unfazed—fingers still extended—in the aftermath of the explosion. Hadorious, meanwhile, had taken the brunt of the attack at point blank and was thrown all the way to the hedges. Nevertheless, however, he immediately shook his head and corrected his posture. Perhaps the hedges had broken his horizontal fall, though he seemed quite sturdy to begin with. 

“Yeah, okay, I get it. You didn’t magically enchant your sword at all; you conjured a phantom of the Elements and channeled that into your sword to make use of its power, right? Hahh... So you’re a skilled swordsman and a spiritualist, huh? That’s quite a range, buddy.” 

As Suimei praised Hadorious in a slightly provocative tone, Hadorious’s expression turned grim. Naturally, it wasn’t because of Suimei’s tone, but because he’d hit the nail on the head. 

“To think you would see through my secret art so easily... But don’t think you have me bested just yet.” 

“Of course not. However...” 

Suimei launched a flash of light at Hadorious. Rather than harm him, it was to force him to evade. 

“That’s enough with swords. I’m a magician, after all. I don’t really feel like fighting in your own arena, see? As for you, Reiji, what are you doing? Why don’t we tag-team this?” 

“Y-Yeah, you’re right!” 

When it finally dawned on Reiji that there was nothing preventing them from fighting Hadorious two-on-one, Reiji promptly hustled over to Suimei’s side. Suimei couldn’t tell whether he was just that absentminded, fascinated, or exhausted—or maybe all three. To be on the safe side, Suimei muttered a healing spell. 

“Wh-Whoa...” 

As a green magicka circle rose up at Reiji’s feet, the breath of the land washed over him. His body was wrapped in a gentle breeze, and the green magicka circle became threads of light that vanished on the wind. When it all faded, Reiji was back to feeling how he was before his throwdown with Hadorious. 

“Is this restoration magic?! It’s amazing! My wounds are all healed!” 

“It’s healing magicka, but yeah. And you weren’t hurt that badly, so it really ain’t that amazing. It’s certainly not my specialty, that’s for sure.” 

Suimei cracked a small smile, but with this, the two of them were in prime fighting condition. 

“You may have me outnumbered now, but...” 

Even before two opponents, Hadorious didn’t seem to have any intention of backing down. He once more took a fighting stance and held his sword at the ready, but he was gushing even more fighting spirit than before. This was the mettle of a swordsman faced with a challenge. The aura he was exuding made him look two—no, three times bigger than normal. 

“Looks like he’s finally motivated huh?” 

“Seems so. So this is what he’s like when he’s serious...” 

This blatant display of power told them he’d been holding back while fighting them individually. His immense fighting spirit was so intense that it rattled even their surroundings. The hedges began snapping one after the other and the broken fragments of stone tiles on the ground began dancing around in a clatter. 

“Now, now... I can’t have you forgetting about me.” 

Proclaiming her presence in a haughty tone, Io Kuzami approached. 

“Oh, yeah, you’re here.” 

“Bastard, despite the aid I lent you in that heated battle, you dare speak to me so? Remember this and remember it well... I certainly will.” 

“Er... I’m actually pretty maxed out right now, so could you cut me some slack?” 

With a dark gaze and even darker voice, Io Kuzami threatened Suimei, who shrunk back a little. He genuinely didn’t want any more trouble at the moment. 

“Suimei.” 

“Yeah.” 

But Io Kuzami aside, Reiji and Suimei couldn’t let their guards down. They turned their attention back to their opponent, but just as they were about to go on the offensive, something swooped down on them. A shock ran through the ground and a giant cloud of dust and dirt billowed upward in the middle of the courtyard. It was like a building had collapsed. As the rapidly expanding dust cloud threatened to engulf them, Suimei and Reiji swiftly leaped back. 

“Tch... What now?” 

“Something big came down from above, I think...” 

Reiji didn’t sound entirely certain; he’d only caught a glimpse of it with his enhanced dynamic vision. However, the dust cloud cleared before too long, revealing what had landed between them and Hadorious. 

“Hey, hey now... 

“That’s...” 

“Oho?” 

Suimei, Reiji, and Io Kuzami all responded in synchronized surprise. For what had appeared before them had the figure of an enormous man, but was made out of earth polished black. It was a golem. 

In total, it was about five or six meters tall. It had no discernible waist, but it had articulate fingers on each hand. It was clad in mana dense enough to visibly glow red. It was apparently quite strong, as that was what was holding it together. 

“Is this the duke’s doing? No...” 

That didn’t seem to be the case. Hadorious looked to be equally confused by this sudden arrival, and was staring up at the roof. Moreover, this golem didn’t look like the ones Suimei had seen so far in this world, which meant... 

“So that’s the deal, huh?” 

All of the speculation that had been brewing in the back of Suimei’s mind took form. He now knew for sure that Hadorious had kidnapped Elliot because he had some kind of connection to them. Having figured that out, Suimei smirked and dusted himself off. Meanwhile, Reiji took a brave leap forward. 

“A mere giant made of dirt, is it?” 

“Yo, wait, Reiji! Hold your horses! Don’t be so rash!” 

Reiji simply assumed the golem would be an easy opponent, and that was certainly an easy trap to fall into. If it were simply an automaton made of dirt, it should be no match for Reiji’s orichalcum sword backed by the power of the Goddess. He could probably cleave it right in two—if it were a golem of this world, anyway. 

But Suimei’s warning came a second too late to stop Reiji’s assault on the giant. He struck it with all his might, but the blow didn’t make a sound. In fact, Reiji didn’t feel like he’d hit anything at all. 

“There’s no... Urgh!” 

As if swatting away a pesky mosquito, the golem indifferently swung its arm. Reiji leaped to the side to evade. Having missed its mark, the golem’s arm smashed into the ground with a fearsome shock that rattled the pit of everyone’s stomach like the low rumble of distant thunder. It spat a cloud of dust, dirt, and pebbles into the air in its wake. Reiji then took decisive action without showing any fear. Aiming for the golem’s sluggish arm—judging that its joints would be the easiest target—he swung his sword boldly, but... 

“Th-That doesn’t work either?! What’s going on here?!” 

Just the same as before, the golem was unaffected by Reiji’s sword. Just the same as before, it retaliated by swinging its arm like it was swatting away an insect. And just the same as before, Reiji dodged the listless motion by a wide margin. If this continued, it would be a difficult opponent to take down. 

When fighting an automaton, it was standard practice to defeat it by taking out its master. That said, there was no sign of its master in sight. It didn’t seem to be Hadorious, so going after him wouldn’t help. Moreover, if they tried to, the golem would likely cover for him. It seemed to be his ally. 

That being the case, Suimei determined that their first priority should be knocking out this golem that was much tougher than it appeared to be. He went to take action, but when he did, Io Kuzami stepped in front of him, her arms fearlessly folded and her red muffler blowing in the wind. 

“It’s about time that I take my turn— Huh?” 

As Io Kuzami gallantly stepped forward to support her friends, she suddenly cowered down on the spot. 

“Hey, what’s wrong?!” 

She was shaking. Something had clearly happened. Judging that she was in harm’s way where she was, Suimei rushed to her side. By the time he got to her, she stood up... 

“...Huh? What?” 

Sounding a lot like a baffled Mizuki, she began looking around in bewilderment. Seeing this, Reiji called out to her as he continued dodging the golem. 

“Io Kuzami-san? What’s—” 

“WHAAAT?! Reiji-kun, how could you?! You know you’re not ever supposed to call me that, even as a joke! You do know that, right?!” 

“H-Huh? Could it be... Mizuki? Is that you, Mizuki?” 

“What are you talking about? Of course it’s me! More importantly, where are we? Weren’t we in a cave in the Alliance...?” 

It seemed Anou Mizuki had at last made her return, and she’d chosen quite the stage for it. But... just what had happened to Io Kuzami? Reiji was plumb flummoxed, Mizuki was completely bewildered, and Suimei was absolutely dumbfounded. 

“Mizuki, what the hell kinda timing is this? Wait a sec, is this revenge for what I said just now?! Your personality is too damn evil, you mysterious spirit!” 

Suimei started yelling, but his words never reached Io Kuzami, who had seemingly vanished. Mizuki, however, heard him loud and clear. 

“Hey, what’s up with you two all of a sudden?! Why are you talking about me like that?! Wait, why the heck is Suimei-kun even here?! In a suit, no less... Actually, the suit with the long coat is pretty cool...” 

As expected, Suimei’s black suit tickled Mizuki’s chuuni heart. She beheld him with a fond gaze before something rather large caught her attention. That something, of course, was none other than the golem. 

“Wh-Wha...?” 

There was a moment of confounded disbelief. Her mind was unable to process the enormous thing in front of her, and she stiffened temporarily before growing excited again. 

“Huh? Th-Th-This is a golem! What’s going on? Seriously, what?! What is this?! Suimei-kun, explain!” 

“I will, but later! For now just shut up and be quiet! Also, get outta the way and fall back!” 

“I-I’d like to, but...” 

“Ah, damn it!” 

Mizuki was still somewhat frozen up and still rather disoriented. She hardly knew which way to turn. Suimei let out an irritated groan, but used his magicka to gently pick her up and pull her towards him before taking her in his arms. 

“Wow, you’re pretty strong, Suimei-kun, huh?” 

“Shut your mouth. You’re gonna bite your tongue.” 

Suimei then suddenly jumped back a great distance and prepared to use his magicka. 

“Reiji, step aside!” 

After shouting a warning to Reiji who was still engaging the golem, Suimei began the chant for one of his strongest spells. 

“O flammae, legito. Pro venefici doloris clamore. Parito colluctatione et aestuato. Deferto impedimentum fatum atrox. Fiamma est lego. Vis Wizard. Hex agon Aestua Sursum. Impedimentum Mors.” 

[Oh flames, assemble. Like the cry of the magician’s resentment. Give form to death’s agony and burst into flames. Bestow the one who obstructs me with a dreadful destiny.] 

With the last verse of Suimei’s chant, Reiji took a great leap backward. Fiery magicka circles were already appearing around the golem. They grew brighter in the blink of an eye, and all of a sudden Hadorious’s courtyard was lit up like it was mid-afternoon. 

“Itaque conluceto! O Ashurbanipalis fulgidus lapillus!” 

[So shine! Oh Ashurbanipal’s dazzling gem!] 

Suimei then activated his keywords, and the cursed flames flooded the golem. They shot out of their magicka circles like flamethrowers, and the golem was instantly set alight. The golem was so tall that the flames that reached its shoulders looked like they threatened to catch even the night sky on fire. It took several moments for them to die down, but when they did... the golem was still standing as if nothing happened. Ashurbanipal’s flames were largely meant to be used against living beings, but... 

“Fuck! It didn’t work at all?! Are you telling me that thing’s the real deal?! Nobody ever said anything about this kinda crap being here, damn it!” 

“Wh-Wh-What?! That’s amazing! Suimei-kun just used magic! Amazing magic! Just when did you learn to do that?! Hey, hey! Tell me—” 

“AAAAAAAAH, DAMN IT! SHUT UUUUUP! I’m super busy right now, so seriously just keep quiet, okay?” 

“But, but, but—you know, you know?” 

“I don’t know! And no buts!” 

Mizuki seemed to grow more and more excited in Suimei’s arms. It was clear he’d had enough, but she didn’t show any signs of calming down. In fact, she flashed a grin and spoke up again in stark defiance of Suimei’s across the board gag order. 

“Heeheehee... Oooh, Suimei-kun! Reiji-kun! Shall I teach you the weakness of a golem?” 

The first to react was Reiji. 

“You know this thing’s weakness, Mizuki?!” 

“Of course I do! A golem’s weak point is the most basic of basic magical knowledge, you know? Tsk, tsk, tsk...” 

Mizuki waggled her finger left and right like a doctor’s assistant explaining something obvious. 

“Okay, listen up. On the golem’s forehead, there should be a talisman engraved with the word ‘emet.’ That means ‘truth,’ and that’s the trick to the whole thing. See, if you take away the first letter, it becomes ‘met’, or ‘death.’ If you do that, the golem is no more! You can see its forehead, right? The talisman’s right there.” 

Mizuki thrust her finger out so enthusiastically that Suimei felt like it should be accompanied by some cheesy sound effect. But she was right; there was definitely something affixed to the golem’s forehead with characters carved into it. Reiji noticed it too. 

“I see... Then if we can skillfully cut that talisman...” 

“Nope, it’s useless. Look carefully.” 

“Huh?” 

When Suimei flatly denied what Mizuki had just suggested, Reiji was rightly confused. Mizuki seemed to be as well as she stared at the golem’s forehead. 

“But, um...” 

“Huh? It’s different from what Mizuki said? The letters are...” 

“That’s right. The power word is ‘??–??.’ This sucker wasn’t created to have anything to do with the truth.” 

“Wh-What? But golems are supposed to...” 

“How do I say this...? It seems you’re under all kinds of misunderstandings. What you’re thinking of is ‘emet’ written with English characters. And in Hebrew, it’s true that if you change ‘??–??’ to ‘??,’ the original power word loses its... well, power. But do you really think anyone would use such an easily hackable password for their golem?” 

The manufacture of golems and the spells to move them were considered secret arts. To freely make use of either technique required incredible skill. But the old “emet” trick was so outdated that even Mizuki knew about it. That being said, the gist of the idea was still valid—there was still a trick to the way they worked. But makers of golems and other automatons would use all manner of schemes to keep them from being easily overridden. 

A standalone golem didn’t have the flexibility of one puppeted by a caster. They could mostly only perform preprogrammed actions and were thus fairly unreliable against magicians. As such, they were usually given general orders to attack or defend. And in this case, this particular one... 

“S-So what does this one say, Suimei-kun?!” 

“Just as I said before, it’s ‘??–??.’ There’s a line there that you don’t see in English that connects the words ‘God’ and ‘dead,’ so it’s more like ‘God is dead.’ It never was named after the truth, so even if you reduced it to just the ‘death’ part, it wouldn’t do anything.” 

At least for the time being, it seemed that what Suimei was saying was getting across to Mizuki. That said, she was none too pleased about Suimei showing her up in the obscure knowledge department and folded her arms in displeasure. 

“Wait a sec, i-is that even a thing?! Unfair! That’s totally unfair!” 

“Shut up! Don’t make a fuss over every little thing! Besides, there’s no such thing as fair and unfair when it comes to magicka!” 

There, Reiji spoke up with a serious expression. 

“Then, Suimei... We can’t defeat that thing using the method Mizuki suggested, right? What should we...” 

“Forget that for now! It’s coming right at us!” 

When Suimei looked in the direction Mizuki was suddenly pointing, though it was relatively slow, he saw the golem was closing in on them at a steady pace. Reiji once more charged in to engage it, but there was still no effect when he struck it with his sword. 

“Shit, whipping out such a bothersome piece of crap... And ‘God is dead’? What’s with that? Nietzsche? Gimme a break. Is this supposed to be the übermensch?” 

Suimei ran through his thoughts in a grumbling fashion, and he continued to let his gears turn as he watched Reiji tangle with the golem. 

Last time it was Ars Combinatoria, and this time it’s a golem mimicking the übermensch? What the crap...? What’s going on here? None of this clicks together... 

The caster who created the golem was likely the mirage man who’d appeared in the Alliance. Suimei had had a guess as to his identity, but this seemed to throw a wrench in the gears. Yet even so, if he used Ars Combinatoria which was descended from Ars Magna Raimundi, then there should really only be one possibility... 

“No, I get it. If it’s influenced by Nietzsche, then it has to be relatively modern... Is that why it’s incorporating that?” 

While Suimei continued mumbling to himself, Mizuki was starting to grow worried about their prospects in this situation. 

“S-Suimei-kun, Suimei-kun! What about, um, backing up Reiji-kun or something?” 

“Nah, that wouldn’t help— Yo, Reiji! Get away from that thing for a bit!” 

Suimei shouted loudly at Reiji, who was also racking his brains about how to cope with the golem. He quickly complied and fell back, however, when he heard Suimei’s voice. Since the attacks from his glowing orichalcum sword weren’t working, he must have also understood that there was no point in continuing this way. Suimei also fell back, carrying both himself and Mizuki to some cover. Before long, Reiji came jumping over to join them. Crouching down as low as they could, they put their heads together in a secret huddle. 

“What a thing for Duke Hadorious to bring out...” 

“No, it wasn’t him. Its master is probably somewhere else—that’ll be the guy who did it.” 

“So someone else is involved?” 

“Yeah, as we thought, that asshole is connected to those stupid Universal Apostles. On top of that, the spell used to create that trash heap isn’t from this world.” 

As Suimei had noted, there were certainly golems in this world, but the one currently marauding in Hadorious’s courtyard was different. The Hebrew on its forehead was proof enough. When it had first appeared, Suimei had also caught wind of a strange mana presence—one unlike the people of this world. It was likely that man was watching the fight between Reiji and Hadorious from somewhere nearby, and had sent the golem out when it looked like Hadorious was at a disadvantage. 

“Suimei, Mizuki was right when she said that thing was a golem, right?” 

“Yup.” 

“Of course I was! I mean, look at it! It totally looks like a golem! It couldn’t be anything but a golem!” 

Mizuki both proudly and defiantly folded her arms. Suimei found her innocent attitude rather cute, but he had other things to focus on right now. Namely... 

“Yeah, that’s a genuine golem. The one that comes up in the Old Testament, the invincible giant brought into being by a rabbi.” 

“Invincible?” 

“Giant?” 

When the two of them questioningly repeated his words, Suimei nodded back at them. He then glanced over at the golem, which seemed to have stopped moving. Without any immediate targets, it was likely just idling. The reason it wasn’t assertively coming after them was probably because, just as Hadorious said, this was a bout. In other worlds, they were only testing the abilities of the hero and his companions. As Suimei was pondering that, Mizuki turned to Reiji. 

“Reiji-kun, what was attacking it like?” 

“W-Well... Even when I put all my strength into my swings, I didn’t feel any feedback. It hardly felt like hitting anything at all, much less something hard.” 

“Exactly.” 

“Huh?” 

“I said it just now, but that thing is invincible. If you felt feedback, that would imply there was a reaction. In other words, impact and shock. So if you felt none of that, it means that one centimeter or even one millimeter before you hit it, your strike was being suspended in the air.” 

“Wh-What?! Does that mean that nothing’s going to work on it?!” 

“No, it’s not that serious. But I doubt any regular attacks will do any good. If we want to do some real damage, we’ll have to compromise its invincibility before attacking.” 

“Do what...?” 

“Yup, that’s just how special it is.” 

Indeed, this golem was special. If it were any normal golem, they would have plenty of options. But this one was close to the original. And on top of that, if it was imitating the übermensch, then it meant that no human would ever be able to compare to it. Nietzsche had said that man must fall for the sake of the übermensch, meaning this golem was designed to have men fall before it. 

Since twilight syndrome denied the existence of eternity, there was no such thing as immortality. One day, anything and everything would meet its destined ruined. By extension, there was also no such thing as true invincibility. 

“But it’s a damn pain that it’s so close to it... Fundamentally, everything we try and do will end up nullified.” 

Mizuki’s expression clouded over with unease upon hearing that grim prediction. 

“How are we supposed to compromise its invincibility if everything we do ends up nullified?” 

“No, if we can compromise that, everything’s fair game.” 

“I see... So there’s some hope, huh?” 

Even if it was only a little, Mizuki looked relieved. Reiji then turned his gaze on Suimei too. It was a reassuring, straightforward, refreshing, strong gaze that could bewitch anybody’s heart. And naturally, there was only one reason he was looking at Suimei that way. 

“Suimei, Mizuki and I have no idea what we’re doing here. I want you to teach us how to defeat that thing.” 

“Yeah, I got it.” 

Suimei replied with a light smile as if telling him not to worry, and Mizuki laughed with a broad grin. 

“It’s your job to come up with the strategy, after all. Right, Suimei-kun?” 

“That’s right. Heh, it kinda feels like we’re back to old times.” 

“That’s just a nice way of saying we get caught up in way too much troublesome crap. Have mercy, you guys...” 

In response to his friends’ laughter, Suimei looked somewhere between exasperated and exhausted. But they were right. The tactical role naturally fell on Suimei, so he pulled himself together and began explaining. Taking a small twig in his hand, he whipped it about like a pointer as he spoke. 

“Looking at that Hebrew word on the golem’s forehead, there’s no mistaking that it’s something from our world. And if it’s moving around without the help of trust, for the most part, that means it is relying on ruach.” 

“Ruach?” 

“That’s the Holy Spirit! It’s the Holy Spirit, right?!” 

Reiji was completely lost on the subject, but the word seemed to conjure something in Mizuki. She excitedly waved her hand in the air like she knew the answer. 

“No, not quite. Mizuki, the Holy Spirit you’re thinking of is ruach kadosh.” 

“Whaaat?” 

“The ruach I’m talking about certainly does come up in the Old Testament, but... Here it’s referring to the original meaning of the Hebrew word, or the many ruachs. The golem is modeled after a clay doll, but by breathing ruach carrying a rabbi’s wisdom into its nose, it is given the ability to breathe like a living being. It can also move around.” 

Ruach was something like the power of magicians. Strictly speaking, it was categorized as mana containing a spell or a charm, and used breath to give orders. There were also golems that were powered strictly by power words like “emet,” but when a standalone golem was powered in such a way, it became a mostly unintelligent doll that didn’t know how to take commands. One powered with ruach, however, could be as intelligent as a living being. 

“Hey, hey, Suimei-kun. This is super late, but...” 

“What?” 

“How do you know this stuff?” 

It really was a late question, and Suimei was unable to stop the sigh that came in response. 

“That’ll have to wait.” 

“Mm, that will have to come later, huh?” 

“Y-You two... That’s mean...” 

As Suimei and Reiji flatly denied her any explanation, a teary-eyed Mizuki groaned. Reiji then seemed to turn his thoughts to coming up with his own way of defeating the golem. 

“To make a robot stop moving, you need to do something about its legs or cut its motor... We need to pull the plug, basically, and do something about its energy source.” 

“But as long as it is invincible, you won’t be able to hurt its legs or even attack its ruach directly. You can’t just put something heavy on it or physically bind it to get it to stop moving, either. No, the first thing we have to do is make its existence inconsistent.” 

“Wait, wait, Suimei-kun! Hang on! It still has a talisman, right? So can’t we just do something about that?” 

“That also won’t work.” 

“Why not?” 

“I mean, it’s obvious... Like just now, it’s the first thing anyone would think of.” 

“Huwah?” 

“What do you mean?” 

“I mean, duh. Literally, it’s the first thing anyone would think of. Do you really think they wouldn’t take countermeasures against that? The first thing a magician would do is make absolutely sure you can’t just rip the talisman off, and then they’d shore up the defenses in that area just to be safe. Also... That’s right. Just like certain movies, it could be treated like a microwave oven or an ally’s body or something.” 

“A booby trap, you mean...” 

“Bingo. The moment you put your hand on it, BANG! That might even by why something as obvious as ‘??–??’ is carved there—it’s a trap.” 

Suimei pressed the twig he’d been holding against his forehead and pantomimed an exploding motion. The conversation reached a lull there, and Suimei immersed himself in thought. 

“Think, Suimei... You’ve already got all the hints you’re going to get. It shouldn’t be that hard to defeat it. The real target isn’t the golem. It isn’t the motor behind the golem’s movements, either. It’s what defines its existence, the very idea that powers it. ‘God is dead.’ Those are Nietzsche’s words, and if that thing is the personification of the übermensch who slights the existence of God, it means it’s the avatar of an ideology advocating the rejection of God. There is no truth or good or evil in the world; only by living selfishly can the übermensch be created. Living properly in accordance with God’s teachings isn’t the true meaning of living properly. Disperse those that would stop you. Trample over the poor and needy. Earnestly run forward for the sake of happiness. So... what’s the counter to all that? An aged man who invites sleep? Or a child who pretends to be a badger? A monster who manipulates gravity? None of that’s right, huh? The thing that opposes it in the most simplified way possible is—” 

Ressentiment—something created by Christianity to affirm the coexistence of God and the wealthy. It was the notion of the false happiness attributed to the poor, a curse which gave a vested interest to the masses. Nietzsche spoke of it as the gnashing one’s teeth in powerlessness, the curse of society. People would torment themselves over inequality until the day they died; it was an unbelievably deep form of resentment. That was what threatened Nietzsche the most. 

That was the answer, but it felt weak. As long as the concept of ressentiment did not exist in this world, Suimei wouldn’t be able to bring it about easily, and it wouldn’t be accompanied by much power. That said, there was a good analogue. Yes, the pent-up resentment and envy of this world that the fanatically corrupt used... 

“Liliana... I’ll be borrowing your magic.” 

In short, it was dark magic. Misunderstood as an Element by Liliana and the mages of this world, it was magicka that made use of a concentrated body of malice. After telling Liliana not to use it as her mentor, Suimei dabbling in it would be setting a bad example, but this was a special case. After Suimei had been muttering to himself, his friends grew concerned over his sudden silence. 

“Suimei?” 

“...Yeah, I’ve got my thoughts in order. Reiji, I’ll prepare the spell to compromise the golem’s invincibility. You go on out and make sure you can line up a clean strike. I want you to move around and keep it busy. You got that?” 

Using the twig as a pointer again, Suimei thrust it towards Reiji with a snap. And Reiji nodded back at him. 

“Mm. If it’s just moving around, then I’m fine. It’s pretty slow and easy to read.” 

“Good. For the time being, I’ll start firing off some magicka to make them think we’re desperate. Things are probably gonna get a little chaotic...” 

“W-Wait a sec! What kinda plan is that?! You said you’d prepare a spell, but you haven’t actually told Reiji-kun what he’s supposed to do?” 

“Do I have to? If the spell works, it won’t be invincible anymore.” 

“Yeah. And if it doesn’t work, we’ll just think of another way.” 

“E-Even so...” 

Mizuki still seemed reluctant, and Suimei spoke up as if he knew what she was thinking. 

“You know, Mizuki, what am I gonna accomplish, exactly, by telling Reiji what to do? Do you want me to give him a play-by-play on how to slice and dice his opponent?” 

“That might be difficult... I was kinda just hoping you would let me freestyle it.” 

“Okay, fine... You boys are always like this.” 

Mizuki let out an astonished and defeated sigh after hearing their little exchange, but seemed reassured. Really, this was nothing to be astonished about. Whenever they ran into trouble back home, this was basically the lax strategy they’d adopt. And as far as Suimei was concerned, they’d spent enough time on tactics. He poked his head out from cover and peeked at Hadorious. 

“As I suspected, it seems the duke doesn’t intend on moving.” 

“That guy said that he was testing me, so I don’t think he has any intention of really harming us. Since the golem has arrived as a new measuring instrument, I bet he won’t make a move until it’s defeated.” 

Hearing that, Suimei snapped the twig he was holding in two. 

“Alright, let’s defeat it lickety-split and slug him in the face. Twice.” 

“Okay, sounds good.” 

“Strategy meeting adjourned.” 

“Then I’m off. Suimei, I’ll be counting on you for that spell. If it doesn’t work, you owe me one.” 

“Oh, leave it to me.” 

Hearing Suimei’s confident reply, Reiji jumped out of cover and charged at the golem all according to plan. Watching him go, Suimei shot a flash spell at it too, but didn’t give any word of warning to Reiji. And Reiji never looked back. There was no need—they trusted in each other completely. After everything they’d been through together, they were battle brothers. 

If it’s Suimei, even if he’s a cynical jerk, once he makes a decision, he’ll follow with everything he’s got. So if he’s the one supporting me, I know he has my back. 

If it’s Reiji, once he puts his trust in someone, that’s absolute. He’d never doubt or falter, and that’s why he won’t look back... He’ll simply keep trusting in me and pushing forward. 

It would be the bond they shared that gave them the upper hand here. Reiji was leading the golem around by the nose, and Suimei was slowing it down with magicka. Hadorious, on the other hand, wasn’t doing anything at all. The mirage man was likely around somewhere, but didn’t seem to be doing anything either. Was it because they genuinely thought Suimei and his friends were desperate? As the golem grew slower and slower, it seemed like things were starting to turn in their favor. 

And with the absolute trust between Suimei and Reiji, there wasn’t a single opening to be had in their teamwork. They acted in perfect coordination like they’d planned the whole thing as they worked together towards the same goal. There would be no stopping them as long as they shared that connection. 

“The golem, one of the ultimate arts of the Kabbalah... At first it was an artificial human created by a rabbi. It’s a being that faithfully obeys its creator’s orders, the result of the endless desires of man... And to fulfill your master’s desires, you were made to appear as perfection— No, to test our power and knowledge, you manifest the thoughts of Nietzsche.” 

Unprompted, Suimei began deciphering the existence of this golem. It was like he was reinforcing his own ideas, strengthening the foundation for the phenomenon to come. 

“God is dead... Those words from a dream—until today, those words have been interpreted in every possible way. They affirm the free will of man and deny his sins. Its foundations lie in the restraint of one’s swelling vested interests, and it’s a certain step in guiding humanity down a new path. And what brings that to the fore is that grandiose idea advocated by Christianity. That which is meant to encourage the weak, and makes them resent the strong—yes, ressentiment.” 

Yes, what Christianity continued to imprint on the masses was exactly that. They used the discontent of the poor to confirm the existence of God. “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” The strong go to hell and the weak to heaven. The same idea was used to justify disparities in wealth. Poverty is righteous. Honorable. And in that sense, Christianity teaches ultimate righteousness. 

It sounded good when using it to console and encourage the poor, yet it was really nothing but a means to quell any uprisings in regard to vested interests. It’s fine to resent the rich, but remain honorably poor. That will get you into heaven, and there you can at last look down on the rich in hell. 

And so the poor would remain poor until death. Nietzsche despaired at that thought. He understood that living in this world meant such suffering, and in order to overcome that, he declared that God was dead. Honorable poverty would never bring the poor happiness. If the toil of those who worked their hands to the bone went unacknowledged, they too would go unacknowledged forever. And so he denied the traditional Christian values of the Western world. 

In that case, the very idea of ressentiment was the binary opposite of his approach. Malice, envy, hatred, and the dark magic made of them would be the enemy of this golem. If the foundation of dark magic was the bitter emotions of the world, the envy of the weak towards the strong would definitely be included in that. 

“Come, come, follow me. Use my blasphemous voice as a guide down your path. Oh swirling and surging wills that all in the world find abhorrent...” 

After quickly putting a defensive circle at Mizuki’s feet, Suimei once more unleashed his mana to increase the effect of his magicka, raising his rank temporarily. Drawing an inverted pentagram with his hand held out stiff like a blade, the mana that had been filling his surroundings was devoured by the awakened malice. It turned darker than the black of midnight, and from that black curtain of despair, more darkness bubbled forth. 

Those dark bubbles were crystal clear manifestations of malice. They were the mystical force behind dark magic, and as more of them appeared, a dark murmuring began swirling in the area. 

Those voices were... They were the shrill shrieks of a woman yelling out her bitterness. The hoarse voice of an old man taken by envy. The thick and vulgar voice of a man eternally embroiled by deep resentment. The irritable voice of an infant wailing. 

Assaulting everyone’s ears, the cacophonous torrent of voices pierced their brains, rang out, and transformed Hadorious’s courtyard into a grim concert hall. When the audible malevolence fell around Reiji, he finally called out to Suimei with sense of urgency. 

“S-Suimei! I know you mean well, but this is a little intense!” 

“Suck it up! If I don’t do this much, there won’t be any effect! You have that divine protection of that Goddess or whatever, so I’m pretty sure you’ll be fine!” 

“You’re pretty sure?! It won’t be funny if you defeat your ally before defeating your enemy, damn it!” 

As one would expect, even Reiji had apprehensions about what Suimei was doing. But while he continued to complain... 

“Oh Darkness. Thou art the fleeting black that paints this world far and wide. Mix into magnificence, transform it all to sinisterness, and pluck all sprouts of fate. Eva, Zurdick, Rozeia, Deivikusd, Reianima...” 

And then came the keywords, extolling despair like a eulogy... 

“Transient Hope.” 

What Suimei used to compromise the golem’s invincibility was the very dark magic that Liliana had once used. And with his own rhetoric and savage names, he strengthened it even further. 

The darkness then bubbled so thickly that it crowded the air. The bubbles then turned sharply and all closed in on the golem. And just as Suimei planned, each one pierced the golem’s body. As if its footing had suddenly become unsteady, the golem abruptly shook violently as it staggered. Seeing this, Suimei yelled out to his friend locked in combat with the automaton. 

“That’s it! Now, Reiji!” 

“Yeah!” 

Reiji shouted back in confident reply, and then... 

“HAAAAAAAAH!” 

Reiji’s piercing battle cry rang through the courtyard. With his sword at the ready like he was about to shoot a rifle and his back lowered, he let out a great roar. It was as if he were unfurling great fighting spirit or mana. He then fell quiet and silently pierced the golem’s body with his brilliant orichalcum sword. 

“—!” 

Now he was only roaring in his heart as he slew his foe. After severing the desperate arm that swung at him in a single stroke, his sword penetrated the golem’s enormous chest. It plunged deep into what he assumed would be the golem’s core. 

“RAAAAAAAAH!” 

Reiji then let out another roar as he thrust his sword even deeper. The golem squirmed and tried to come at Reiji with its remaining arm, but Reiji poured everything he had into taking the mechanical beast down and paid it no mind. 

“S-Suimei-kun, wh-what about backing him up...?” 

“Nah. If I fired off a spell now, it would be dangerous for Reiji. Besides, the only one who could finish that thing off is Reiji.” 

“Only Reiji-kun...?” 

“That’s right. The ones who deny Nietzsche are consequently the idols of God. In the end, Nietzsche’s focus was held captive by God, after all. And since Reiji is divinely blessed, he’s kind of the embodiment of that.” 

Indeed, Reiji bore the divine blessing of the Goddess Alshuna. He wielded a fraction of her power, which was a direct challenge to the idea that divinity was dead. Even in this world, the fortune and misfortune of the people was determined by a higher power. God or Goddess, it didn’t really make a difference. 

“Reiji! Drive it in! Drive it in and slam your mana into it!” 

As if replying to Suimei’s cry, Reiji focused all his mana into his sword and used it as an intermediary to drive it into the golem. Under the tremendous pressure, his shining orichalcum blade snapped where it was stabbed into the golem. 

“A-Agh, my sword!” 

“Reiji!” 

In the middle of the shower of sparks like a lightning shower, Suimei used his magicka to tear Reiji away. The golem then regained its balance and stood up again. 

“Ugh, it’s no good. Just one more push... We’re just one push short!” 

“Making it so damn tenacious... Wait here a sec. I’ll make a sword.” 

Pulling the vial of quicksilver from his suit pocket once more, Suimei was just about to conjure his mercurial katana again, when... 

“No.” 

“Reiji?” 

Without reflecting on the danger, Reiji stepped forth. Just what was he trying to do? Did he find that one push they needed to win? Or was this just the foolhardiness of a desperate hero? The answer soon came out of Reiji’s own mouth... 

“Give me power... Sacrament, answer my desires once more!” 

As Reiji clenched the Sacrament tight in his hand, his body was swallowed by the blue light coming from the Lapis Judaicus. 

Victory was certainly within grasp. The plan Suimei had worked out was perfect. He’d given them an opportunity to take out the earthen giant. All that was left was to take the final step and do it. 

But Reiji hadn’t been able to finish the job. The giant was still moving. In short, he alone didn’t have the power to do it. There was only that one step left, but he fell one step short. 

And so he prayed. He prayed for the Sacrament to answer him. He wanted it, and he wanted it badly. Once more—just once more—he wanted it to answer his voice. 

Not a moment later, a world he’d never seen before washed over him. 

It wasn’t the long, long tunnel filled with muddy darkness he’d witnessed before. He should have been standing in the courtyard of Hadorious’s mansion, but he now found himself in a wheat field bathed in the golden glow of the sun. It was like a scene straight out of a Western painting. 

“Just where...” 

When he looked around him, there was wheat as far as the eye could see. Far in the distance he spied a mountain through a hazy fog. He couldn’t even be sure if it had a base that touched the earth. A mild breeze would sometimes blow, putting gentle, rustling waves in the ocean of sheaves. 

Reiji slowly began walking with no particular destination. He had no guide to show him the way, but as he proceeded through the wheat field, a white arbor eventually came into view. It was just like some historic ruin that had fallen into decay. He got closer to take a look and saw a pure white pillar that had collapsed. There was also a white canopy made of stone, as well as a single table and a few chairs left behind. 

“Just what is this...?” 

Bewilderment seized him and he stood there stock-still in the midst of it all. He raised a hand and touched one of the pillars, and a sensation like the shock of a weak electric current ran through him. 

The pure white pillars appeared to be made of stone, but contrary to his expectations, they weren’t stone at all. They were metal. The moment he touched one, he understood. For he recognized the sensation... It was the same thing he felt when he gripped the Sacrament. 

“Then, all of this white stuff...” 

The entire arbor was made of the same of the same material as the Sacrament’s blade. It bore a resemblance to white porcelain, but it was decidedly metallic. Reiji stared at it all in wonder, and his eyes fell upon the collapsed pillar... 

“Oh my, to think a visitor would come here... No, in this case, I suppose I may be the visitor myself.” 

Reiji suddenly heard a youthful voice from somewhere very nearby. He turned around to see a Scandinavian-looking man with a single scar running straight across his brow leaning back in one of the chairs. 

How long had he been there? Reiji certainly hadn’t seen anyone when he’d first arrived. It was like the man had appeared out of nowhere, but it was also like he’d been sitting there forever. His arms and legs were all stretched out like he was simply relaxing. 

The man with the scar had short, blond hair and blue eyes. He wore select pieces of armor over a white military uniform and held a spear in one hand. His figure was impressive and imposing. His left ear was long like an elf’s but split in three like a fork, while his right ear looked perfectly human. 

“Ah—” 

It suddenly set upon Reiji. He abruptly understood that this man wasn’t human. He had a humanoid figure, certainly, but his very presence was different... larger. The man seemed to find Reiji’s bewilderment interesting, however, and looked at him from several angles. Reiji simply stood there, perplexed by his gaze, but the man seemed to come to some kind of realization. His eyes suddenly went wide and he clapped his hands together. 

“Oho! You’re a human youngster, huh? To think someone as earnest and straightforward as you would be chosen... It’s seriously the end of the world. Well, I suppose that was already in motion eons ago...” 

The man with the scar seemed to find some oblique joke of his own making quite funny and began chuckling to himself. Reiji was still rather confounded, and couldn’t help asking... 

“Um, who are you?” 

“Me? I’m the owner of that thing you have. Well, if you’re here, I suppose I should say ‘former owner,’ but I’m sure you get the point.” 

“That thing...?” 

“Yes, that thing you’re holding in your hand right there.” 

When Reiji looked down to where the man was pointing with his finger, he saw he did indeed have something firmly gripped in his hand. He was unconsciously holding on to it with all his strength. Reiji then looked up at the man, who nodded in response. He then looked down again and slowly uncurled his hand. 

“The Sacrament...” 

“That’s right. The crystal sword Ishar Cluster.” 

It was the mystical weapon that had saved him when he fought against Ilzarl and again against Grallajearus—the Sacrament. It was a weapon he’d obtained in the strange world he’d been summoned to, and one Suimei had warned him was incredibly dangerous. It was currently in its ornamental form, just like it had been stored in the self-governed state for ages. This man claimed to be its former owner... but that was a bit hard to swallow. 

“I heard... that the former owner of this artifact had passed.” 

“Yes, that’s right.” 

“Is it...? Then if you’re here right now, just what are you?” 

“I wonder. But, as you said, there’s no mistaking that I died. I remember it well. The vestiges of it are all in here.” 

The man tapped on his forehead with his index finger as he mustered a humble laugh. Reiji was a little perplexed at this man’s openhearted frankness, but in a complete one-eighty, he suddenly looked very serious. 

“Now, whether I’m dead or alive has nothing to do with you. More importantly, come in.” 

“S-Sure...” 

The man gestured Reiji over to a chair, which he sat down in awkwardly. Coming into contact with the metal, as expected, he felt that small charge of current run through his body. The man then unrestrainedly plunked down in the chair across from him. 

“Let’s see... Back in my time, this kind of thing didn’t happen, so it’s quite interesting to me. I suppose even in this form, I can still experience all kinds of things, huh? You may be witnessing something quite rare, you know?” 

The man laughed heartily with a know-it-all gleam in his eye, but Reiji then moved straight to the point. 

“Um, where is this?” 

“Here? I wonder... I don’t really know myself. It could be the dead center of the Astral Line, or it could be inside the Sacrament’s blade, or it could be the twilight awaiting everyone at the very end of all things. I never got to find out. However, without a doubt, this is where those who are chosen by the source inevitably arrive. You and I are both here. That’s all it means.” 

“The source...?” 

Thinking back on it, Suimei had said something quite similar when they talked about the Sacrament. He said the Sacrament was where all consumed energy in the world arrived, that it would be the key to saving the world from heat death. 

“Wait... Could you be a commoner? Fie! What’s with that?! A brat who isn’t even fully grown and knows nothing at all got a hold of that? And was chosen? Haaahh, it’s seriously the end of the world.” 

“Um...” 

“Take a look over there.” 

Reiji had no idea what the man was going on about and simply waited patiently for an explanation. The man then let out a grand sigh and pointed behind him. Following his finger with his gaze, Reiji spied a black monolith. 

“Is that... a gravestone?” 

“Don’t call it that. Call it an inscription, an inscription! It should be a record of the guys who are still alive.” 

Rising from his chair, Reiji went to take a closer look. He saw the word “Lapis” written in blue letters, as well as many other words written in all manner of languages. They seemed to fall into two categories: ones that were glowing and ones that weren’t. One glowing set of words captured Reiji’s attention in particular. 

“This... This is my name.” 

Indeed, Shana Reiji’s name was engraved on the black monolith in brilliant blue letters. 

“That’s what you guys would call an acceptance, and a contract is now in place.” 

“Acceptance? Contract?” 

“That’s right. With this, when you up and die, you’ll happily be going over there to get swallowed by the whirlpool of blue light. That, or you’ll be sent to the well of twilight with those other guys...” 

Reiji again had no idea what the man was going on about. He could intuit that it was extremely important, but deciphering it and finding any further meaning in it right now was completely beyond him. 

“Hey, this is totally unrelated, but is the Kingdom of Zelvana still around?” 

It was a name Reiji recalled hearing before. 

“Yes. If I remember right, they’re still in the middle of a war.” 

“So it’s still around, huh? Then it’ll probably be fine. As long as the knights are still kicking, things’ll work out somehow.” The man then chuckled to himself again. “So, just what did you come here for, boy? No, that’s a stupid question. You all come here for the same thing—the power to rebel. That’s what you’re looking for too, isn’t it? Power?” 

He was right on the mark. Reiji had prayed to the Sacrament so that he could take down the foe he faced, and that was how he’d ended up here. That was it exactly, which seemed to indicate that the man before him now was none other than the answer to his prayers. 

“Um, I’d like you to teach me how to use this. I can’t seem to do it freely...” 

“Use it, huh? And freely? How ambiguous. Do you want to master it? Do you want techniques from it? Or maybe you simply want the signature spell behind Ishar Cluster’s sword? You have to be more specific than that.” 

“...I see...” 

The man meant to say that Reiji’s desire was too abstract. Hearing those rather blunt words, Reiji’s shoulders fell. The man suddenly looked rather exasperated and spoke up once more. 

“Hey, hey now... Don’t go making that kinda face. You’re a swordsman that made it all the way here, right? You came here with a single purpose, right? Besides, it’s not like you’ve reached a dead end in getting stronger, right?” 

“To overcome the menace that threatens me... I want power no matter what. It doesn’t matter what it is, I just need the power to fight.” 

Reiji spoke his true intentions—his heart—without the slightest hint of deception. The man responded with a grand sigh as he rubbed his ear. 

“I guess there’s no helping it, huh? It’ll be a shame for you to go back empty-handed, too... Huh, I know. How ’bout I give you a single technique to take back?” 

“A technique?” 

“That’s right. But, hmm... the Circle Sept might be too advanced for you though.” 

“Wha...?” 

“Never mind, I’m sure Alpha Strike should be suitable enough.” 

“Alpha Strike?” 

“That’s right. It’s a technique that uses the residue of the Sacrament’s ability, you see.” 

“Its residue...?” 

That didn’t sound good, and Reiji’s skepticism showed on his face. Seeing it, the man put on a bold smile. 

“Well, even if it’s residue, it’ll still be an outrageous technique for you as you are now. Here, lend me that for a sec.” 

The man held out his hand, and Reiji readily handed over the Sacrament. When he did, a dazzling blue light overflowed it and took the shape of a sword. In mere moments, the ornament had transformed into the Ishar Cluster. 

“Look carefully now.” 

Saying that, the man took on a posture that didn’t look like a stance at all. It was extremely casual... yet also sharp like an invisible blade. The man then gave a bold smile and the blue gem inside the Ishar Cluster, the Lapis Judaicus, unleashed a blue light. The two white rings of the sword also quietly began moving. 

Just as Reiji thought the directionless wind in the area seemed to be gathering around them, a sound like thin ice cracking rang out. In the blink of an eye, several enormous pillars of blue crystal rose into the air. The man aimed for the center of them and thrust out the sword. And then, accompanied by a pale lightning, crystals began gathering at the tip of the blade and formed an enormous crystalline structure with the sword at its center. 

With a thunderous roar that felt like it would shatter his eardrums along with the hands he was using to shield them, a shockwave erupted. Shifting over his attention to the enormous blue pillars of crystal, they were now smashed up, and dancing around in the air like diamond dust. 

“Crystallized Las Shiara. It encases your enemies in crystal and then violently smashes them to pieces. Well, it’s a simple technique that doesn’t require much figuring out.” 

“That’s... the Ishar Cluster’s Alpha Strike?” 

Completely aghast at the display he’d just witnessed, Reiji stood there dumbstruck as a violent gust blew suddenly blew through the wheat field and the scenery began to grow hazy. It was like a portent of awakening from a dream. 

“Whoops, looks like time’s up. You got what you wanted, so it seems like our business here is settled. To say goodbye right after finishing my duty is a bit of a pain, but oh well...” 

“T-Time’s—” 

—already up? 

He’d hardly scraped the tip of the iceberg. And as that panicked thought ran through Reiji’s mind, the man spoke up like he’d guessed precisely what Reiji was thinking. 

“Don’t be so anxious. It’s a simple matter. If your opponent is strong, you just have to smack him with something even stronger. Easy peasy. Besides, your pal already set the stage to put an end to that rampaging doll, didn’t he? All that’s left is for you to let loose with all your might.” 

“How do you—” 

“You don’t gotta worry about that kinda thing right now. The Sacrament is a sword that can cut through all things—the only exception is the bond between people. Remember that.” 

There, the man let out a delightful laugh. But after being told time was short, Reiji laid bare the anxiety still lingering in his heart. 

“But the opponent this time around isn’t that easy...” 

“Are you still worried about the charm on that doll? My goodness. Think it through, will ya? It takes quite a bit of effort to put something frayed back together, no? Just sock it to ’em before they can do it. Just like I did now, thrust forth the Sacrament, confine it in crystals, and smash ’em. End of story.” 

The man seemed to be implying their conversation was over too, but Reiji still had more questions. 

“What was that Circle Sept you mentioned earlier?” 

“You’ll find out eventually. If you don’t have enough power, desire it. Wish for it and lend an ear to your inner voice. As long as you’ve been chosen by the source, the source will definitely respond to you.” 

And with that, the man handed back the Ishar Cluster back to Reiji. Once he forcibly put it in Reiji’s hand, his figure gradually began to grow hazy. It was a sign their time was indeed up. This dream would end shortly. 

“P-Please wait a minute! I still don’t know how to turn this into a weapon!” 

The man sighed. 

“So you don’t even know that, huh?” His body was quickly growing hazier, but it seemed he could still speak. “I’ll only say it once, you hear? Listen carefully.” 

And then... 

“My crystallized spirit that glimmers with the blue light of the Lapis... Oh Crystal Sword, manifest in the parted world.” 

“When you want the sword, just say that.” 

“Manifest... in the parted world?” 

“That’s right. When you give that answer to your inner voice, that thing will become a weapon.” 

The man then flashed a knowing smile. It was time to go. However, he pointed his finger over his shoulder like he’d just remembered something. 

“I’ll give you one last warning, alright? From here on, you may end up getting involved in some outrageous battles.” 

“Outrageous battles? You mean against the Demon Lord and Evil God?” 

“Unfortunately, that’s not what I meant. Demon Lords, Evil Gods, and things... If you try hard enough, you can defeat them all. What I’m talking about is something far more outrageous.” 

“Something far more outrageous than Demon Lords and Evil Gods?” 

Just what could be worse than those? A bewildered Reiji was at a loss for words. 

“Well, maybe. There’s a teensy inconsistency in cognition between you and me, after all. Maybe—just maybe—the world I was in and the world you’re in are different. If not, however, it’ll be quite serious.” 

With that, the man waved his hand and began walking off into the wheat field. Hot on his heels, Reiji called after him. 

“Um...!” 

“What? There’s more? I told you time was up, didn’t I?” 

The man looked back one last time with a troubled expression. As for the final question Reiji asked him... 

“Um, my name is Shana Reiji! Could you please tell me yours?!” 

It was a question one normally asked at the beginning of a conversation rather than the end, but Reiji yelled it out with all his heart at the very last minute. The man stared at him in wonder, then burst into laughter. 

“Bwah— BWAHAHAHA! My oh my, you got me there... That was an important detail to leave out, wasn’t it? My name is Ryzeia Rubern, but I won’t be too mad if you forget it. It’s a name that you have no business with anymore, after all.” 

“Thank you very much, Ryzeia-san! I’ll never forget your name!” 

“Then it’s Sir Ryzeia. If you’re going to use my name, then address me like a knight, boy.” 

And there, Sir Ryzeia began walking again. His figure grew hazier by the second as he seemed to vanish into the blue light. 

“Take care of my partner there. Do your best to put it to full use.” 

Hearing those final words from the knight, Reiji’s consciousness too was drowned out in a blue light. 

The overflowing blue light that Reiji’s shout seemed to summon immediately calmed down. Just what had happened? Suimei squinted his adjusting eyes to see Reiji standing exactly where he had been before. 

“My crystallized spirit that glimmers with the blue light of the Lapis... Oh Crystal Sword, manifest in the parted world!” 

Reiji then began shouting again. He was shouting to something or someone, but the object he held in his tightly-clenched fist responded. A blue light burst forth from his hand and took the shape of a sword. 

“H-Hey! Just when did you learn to do that?!” 

“Reiji-kun, is that be the legendary weapon we were talking about?! Wooooow, it’s so cool!” 

It was a porcelain white blade embedded with a blue gem—the sword adorned with the Lapis Judaicus, the crystal sword Ishar Cluster. It emitted a cold blue mist and pale sparks of lightning, and Reiji still held it firmly in his hand. It was overflowing with a quiet yet preposterous power. 

“Reiji!” 

“I’ll finish it off with this! Suimei, fall back with Mizuki!” 

“Wait! We don’t know whether or not that thing can be finished by a Sacrament!” 

“It’s alright! So go!” 

“I appreciate the confidence, but where exactly is that coming from?!” 

Suimei furrowed his brow and let out an agonized groan. He knew good and well he couldn’t stop Reiji when he was like this. Mysteriously full of confidence, Reiji jumped towards the golem that had started to recover itself without hesitation. A concerned Mizuki then turned to Suimei. 

“Suimei-kun, do you mean Reiji-kun might not be able to defeat it with that weapon? It looks totally powerful and amazing and perfect...” 

“The Sacrament is outrageously powerful, yeah. But that thing has a Lapis Judaicus embedded in it.” 

“A Lapis what?” 

“That blue gem around the hilt. It’s connected to the source, and it can take a small amount of mana to pull out all the energy that has ever been consumed in the world. It’s like an infinite, cyclical battery for the universe.” 

“The source? Consumed energy? Battery for the universe...?” 

Suimei was explaining things at the speed of light, and Mizuki could hardly follow along. She ended up with more questions than answers. A small trail of smoke trickled out one of her ears and her eyes started to spin. She looked like she’d simply broken down. Suimei then sighed and tried to dial it back. 

“In short, the golem that Reiji is trying to finish off embodies some of Nietzsche’s ideology. And the weapon Reiji’s currently using affirms some components of that ideology...” 

“So... that’s bad?” 

“I don’t know. Just now I used the something opposed to Nietzsche’s ideology to compromise the golem, but now Reiji’s presenting it with something that reinforces it. If Reiji can finish it off before the Lapis Judaicus can do that, we’ll be fine. But if its invincibility is restored and we have to do that all over again...” 

“Wait, it might restore it?” 

“In the worst case scenario, compromising it won’t work a second time after it’s been reinforced and we’ll be out of cards to play.” 

In the middle of explaining things to Mizuki, Reiji hastened his advance. He was charging straight at the golem. It looked as though he meant to attack it earnestly from the front without any attempt whatsoever to feint or throw it off. And, as if answering each hastening step, the Sacrament began pouring out its power. 

“Hey, hey, hey! I told you that thing was super dangerous!” 

“Wh-Whoa, that’s...!” 

A stiff wind blew through the courtyard. No, it was far too intense to call a wind. It swirled in around Reiji and gathered the blue light given off by the Lapis Judaicus before shooting off into the surroundings. Crystallized pillars then began to shoot up around Reiji and the golem as if to form some kind of icy temple. It was like watching upside-down icicles form at hyperspeed. 

Pale lightning then started coming out of the tips of the enormous crystal pillars, crowning the icy temple. The golem was slowed enough by the lightning that its massive earthen body became trapped between the pillars. The icy temple was more like a prison for it. The bars were as transparent as crystal clear water, but shone blue like the brilliant Lapis Judaicus. 

Now that his foe was trapped, Reiji suddenly pointed the sword at it and the blue light began to swirl. Blue crystals started to appear on the blade of his sword, eventually growing to form one large, sword-shaped crystal. Then... 

“Crystallized Las Shiara!” 

The golem encased in crystal had no way of evading the attack. By that inevitable and absolute strike from the crystal sword, the golem and crystal alike were smashed to pieces as pale lightning scattered through the courtyard. 

“He did it!” 

Witnessing the golem’s defeat, Mizuki raised a joyous cry. She and Suimei then approached Reiji, who was staring at the falling crystals with a satisfied expression. 

“For the time being, good work.” 

“Mm, but...” 

“Yeah, all we’ve defeated is that troublesome golem... I still haven’t slugged that douchey duke, huh? And I’ve got a whole lotta questions for you, mister.” 

“Haha... yeah.” 

At that, Reiji’s satisfied expression became gloomy for some reason. Suimei wasn’t sure what was going through his mind, but when he turned to look at Hadorious, he also had a grim expression on his face. 

“To break that man’s technique... You’ve exceeded my expectations.” 

“Don’t be stupid. You can’t say we broke it. You set it up intentionally so that its weak point would be the hero’s power, didn’t you? Start to finish, this was nothing more than some damn test...” 

It was too convenient that the golem’s weakness would be the hero’s divine power. That had to have been on purpose, and Suimei figured it was likely that they were simply using it as a means to see how much the hero’s power had developed. He was fuming to himself in irritation, but suddenly stopped and stood up straight. 

“Suimei?” 

Ignoring the confused Reiji for a moment, Suimei spoke up in a courteous tone. 

“I think it’s about time that you make an appearance. Or, by hiding yourself, do you perhaps mean to say that you don’t yet acknowledge our abilities?” 

Reiji, Mizuki, and Hadorious all looked around in confusion. But in response to the courteous magician, the man Suimei was calling out to—the mirage man—quietly replied. 

“My, my... Allow me to say that was well done, disciple of Lord Nestahaim. It is only proper that I give you my praise for finding the answer faster than I thought you would.” 

Offering those words of praise, a man with long, wavy, light purple hair and a large build appeared on top of the roof of the Hadorious mansion. He promptly jumped down and gently landed on the ground with none of the impact one would have expected from such a leap. He then went and stood next to Hadorious. 

“Gottfried-dono...” 

It seemed that Hadorious hadn’t expected to see him—or, at least, hadn’t expected to see him reveal himself—and stood there with a surprised look pasted on his face. Seeing him like that, the mirage man—Gottfried—pointed his light purple eyes at Suimei, and responded to Hadorious in a composed manner. 

“If he conforms to etiquette, then I must oblige and show myself. There is no need for you to be timid, Lucas.” 

As Gottfried stepped forward, Hadorious answered him with a light bow. Suimei, meanwhile, put his right hand across his chest and took a step forward, his red eyes meeting Gottfried’s violet gaze. 

“My name is Yakagi Suimei. Alongside the great magician king Nestahaim, progenitor of our magicka, I am one of many seeking the transient truth. Though it is discourteous to ask the name of a master and pioneer of the ways of magicka, I would like to inquire your name.” 

And in response... 

“My name is Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz... Though my body is soaked in great mystery, I am one whose name has withered.” 

“The philosopher who used God...” 

Suimei grit his teeth when he realized he’d been right on the money. He’d had an inkling after their encounter in the Alliance, but that was exactly the name he was expecting to hear. He was far superior in rank than Suimei, a magician who could be classified as one of magicka’s forerunners. A magician who could rival the Greed of Ten. The mirage man, Gottfried, flashed a calm, thin smile. 

“It is fine for you to step aside, disciple of Lord Nestahaim. As you are now, you cannot keep me company. If you wish to face me, take back your original power or obtain a suitable one before you come to me.” 

“Are you telling me to come then?” 

“Of course. This is my path in this world. If you wish to get in my way, finish what it is you must, and then come stand before me.” 

After those words to Suimei, Gottfried turned his gaze over to Reiji. Or rather, to the Sacrament in his hand. 

“Hero, that is Sir Ryzeia’s sword. Use it with care.” 

“You know about this... No, do you know that man?” 

“Yes. That man and I were both summoned here.” 

Gottfried flashed something of a nostalgic smile, and Reiji continued to question him. 

“Why are you people doing this?! Do you think it’s alright for this world to fall into the demons’ clutches?!” 

“I do not think that at all, but it is still too early to give you all the answers.” 

“Too early?” 

Suimei raised an eyebrow. 

“If you answer now, then it will become an obstacle?” 

“Quite so,” Gottfried replied with a nod. 

“So it’s not like you’re lending a hand to the demons or anything, right?” 

“Certainly not. We recognize the demons and the Evil God are things that must eventually be destroyed.” 

“Can I believe you?” 

“Indeed. However, if you would like to hear more, then...” 

They should once more put all their strength into standing. And while they were in the midst of this exchange, everyone else—Felmenia, Lefille, Liliana, and even Titania, Elliot, and Hatsumi—all appeared. 

“Tia!” 

“Reiji-sama, is this the mastermind?” 

As Titania came to Reiji’s side, she pinpointed Gottfried as the ringleader and narrowed her eyes at him. Gottfried had a particular indescribable atmosphere to him, which was probably what had led her to this conclusion. But her gaze quickly turned to the man standing next to him. 

“Your Royal Highness.” 

Hadorious quietly bent a knee, and Titania glowered. 

“Duke Hadorious, if you stand with this man, I shall take the liberty of assuming you now stand against my father?” 

“I swore never to serve two masters. My only lord will forever be His Majesty King Almadious.” 

In response to Hadorious’s serious reply, Titania stayed completely silent as she assessed the situation. Gottfried then turned to address her. 

“You are the princess of this country, then?” 

Titania remained silent. Gottfried then nodded. 

“It is just as Lucas said. His sword is proudly sworn to your king and no one else. If I were to turn my blade on your father, Lucas would turn his on me without hesitation.” 

Hearing those words, Titania was quite unsure... Perhaps she didn’t want to, but she begrudgingly accepted. 

“Let us withdraw.” 

“Withdraw?” 

“There is nothing else we can do here. Though we may judge the duke, there is nothing to punish him for. Elliot-dono stayed of his own accord in the end.” 

Reiji was slightly bewildered at Titania’s suggestion, and turned to Suimei. 

“Suimei, do you think that’s alright...?” 

“Honestly, I don’t know what we should do. I still want to punch that guy, but now that we’re standing on ceremony, I’ll have to wait. This situations’ far too complicated.” 

“But is this okay...?” 

“This ain’t just about winning or losing. What was the victory condition here in the first place? We’ve accomplished what we set out to do, so anything else will just be excess meddling. If we were carrying our momentum from before, it would be one thing, but...” 

The fight had died down and they were now talking things out—for the most part—like rational adults. There was no socially acceptable excuse to escalate things again. As Suimei made a bitter expression, Gottfried turned to Reiji. 

“Hero, allow me to give you a single warning.” 

“What is it?” 

“If you do not want to lose yourself, then rebel against the will of the Goddess. There is no other path before you than that.” 

“I’m fighting by my own will! There’s nothing more to it than that!” 

Having had a similar confrontation with Hadorious early, Reiji unintentionally shouted in response. Meanwhile, a concerned-looking Felmenia turned to Suimei. 

“Suimei-dono...” 

“We’re done here. We really can’t do anything more. Let’s go, everyone.” 

Suimei looked at each of his comrades in turn, and Hatsumi let out a dissatisfied sigh. 

“What a stale stalemate to end on...” 

“We don’t have a choice. We’ll have to save slugging that man for some other time.” 

Lefille too sounded disappointed with this outcome. Like Suimei, she’d also been looking forward to giving Hadorious a good beating. But collectively acknowledging that there was nothing to be gained from staying, they all agreed to leave. 

Gottfried stepped aside, and after calling out to Hadorious, the two of them entered the mansion. Seeing them withdraw, Reiji turned to Suimei. 

“Suimei, he said Leibniz or something, but he didn’t mean...” 

“That’s right. The mathematician and a philosopher who, to prove his own theory, became known as the man who used God.” 

Even if that name wasn’t particularly famous, he was still an icon of his age. On the surface, he was a mathematician, philosopher, and scientist. And behind closed doors, he was a practitioner of mysteries—a genuine renaissance man of intellectual pursuits. Yes, that was Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, the inheritor of Ars Magna Raimundi. The very same man who advocated Ars Combinatoria to the world.